William Allen High School - Comus Yearbook (Allentown, PA)

Page 11 text:

A. Arniagnac. Over the years the classes ol' the high school were held in various places. but the girls were always separated from the hoysg for instance, in IS67 and 1868. the hoys met on the second Hoor of a mercantile estahlishnient while the girls niet in the auditorium ol' the First Preshyterian Church. Finally in IS93. the hrst high school huilding, the present Central klunior High School, was erected at Turner and Luniher Streets. Due to its rapid growth, the student hotly of A.H.S. soon outgrew the 'facilities on Turner Streetg and so in 1916 the largest educational plant in Allentown opened its doors at the Seventeenth Street location. No one thought this huilding would ever heconie too sniall: hut during the past forty-four years, seven aca- demic and vocational annexes have heen added to the original huilding. The present facilities of Allentown High School are adequate for the needs of l95S. hut who can tell what the second one-hundred years will demand?

Page 10 text:

.-.55 b: - J.. fl. - t f ,T y M '- 1-. A wa .wi '3,?4+-i3'x . One gs Hundred Years of Progress at Allentown High Wvhat would the members of the hrst class of Allentown High School think if they were to descend from their celestial home and pay a visit to the modern A.H.S.? Quite a coni- parison can be drawn between the original high school, a building converted for scholastic use, located on Penn Street just south of Hamilton Street, and the present campus on Seventeenth Street between Turner and Linden Streets. During the lirst year of existence for Allentown High School, when Mr. R. VV. McAlpine was school-master. co- education was advocated: but in 1859 separate schools were established for each sex. The teacher for the female students was Mrs. Hannah Romig Hunt: the boys' teacher was Mr.

Page 12 text:

The Academy of Music The Academy of Music, formerly located on the northeast corner of Sixth and Linden Streets, was the site of several early Commencement programs of Allentown High School. June 30, 1869, was the date of the first graduation exercises, which were held in the Presbyterian Church, three young men Were in the class. ln 1870 the ceremonies were held in the Court House, a custom followed for some years. Also serving as sites for Commencement Were Hagenbuchls Opera House, the Lyric Theatre, and the Academy of Music pictured above. ln those early years the graduation exercises were quite different from those now held in West Park. Qne interesting custom was that ofthe procession, which included not only the male graduates but also the directors, guests of honor, alumni and alumnae, the lower classes headed by their teachers, and a marching band, the senior girls, alone, were permitted to ride to Commencement in the hacks popular in that day. The early programs also differed from those ofthe modern day. For instance, in 187-l students presented Schillerls tragedy, .llarie Stuart, in German. It was customary for every student to participate either by reading an essay or by giving a declamation. Those programs most certainly must have been interesting.